Embodiments of the invention relates generally to an electric power grid and more specifically to control of tap changers for voltage regulators or transformers.
The basic structure of an electric power system comprises various hardware elements such as generators, transformers, and real-time monitoring equipment, and software such as power flow analysis software, fault detection software, and restoration software for generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity.
In general, power system operators ensure the quality of the power supplied to the customers by maintaining the load bus voltages within their permissible limits. Any changes to the system configuration or in power demands can result in higher or lower voltages in the system. This situation can be improved by reallocating the reactive power generated in the system by adjusting transformer taps, voltage regulator taps, changing generator voltages, and by switching VAR sources such as capacitor banks.
There are various algorithms available for optimizing operation of tap changer for transformers or voltage regulators. However, most of these algorithms are combined with reactive power control algorithms and thus lead to long convergence times. Further most of these algorithms result in certain transformer taps being switched on and off more times in a day than desired. Frequent switching of transformer taps degrades switching contacts of the transformer taps and increases maintenance requirements.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved optimization approach to operate tap changers.